Keeping a Secret
by damnmysterytome
Summary: Andrea returned home from a doctors appointment and shut the door behind her as quietly as she could, tip toeing into the house and setting her purse down on the hallways end table, looking around the house to see if her partner, Carol, or their two children, Zachary and Caitlin, were home or not. She had some pretty big news to tell Carol later but she didn't want to do it now.


**Well, this one is depressing. Anyway, it's Candrea Wednesday! Prompt from a friend.**

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Andrea returned home from a doctors appointment and shut the door behind her as quietly as she could, tip toeing into the house and setting her purse down on the hallways end table, looking around the house to see if her partner, Carol, or their two children, Zachary and Caitlin, were home or not. She had some pretty big news to tell Carol later but she didn't want to do it right now, especially if the kids were home.

When she realized that no one was home, Andrea walked into the kitchen and walked over to the fridge, pulling out the open bottle of red wine she had stored in the fridge. She took the wine bottle over to the counter and picked up one of the wine glasses that was sitting on the counter upside down on top of a towel to dry off. She opened the bottle of wine and filled the glass up half way and glanced at the time. It was just past two in the afternoon, Carol should be home anytime now, but the kids wouldn't be home until after four. Zachary and Caitlin were six year old twins in second grade who insisted that they ride the bus instead of Carol or Andrea picking them up.

Normally Andrea hated it, but right now she was thankful for it. She didn't know how she was going to tell Carol her news, nonetheless her children.

While preparing dinner, Andrea downed two glasses of red wine and was on her third when Carol returned home.

Carol entered the house and set her things down on the hallway table with Andrea's and walked down to the kitchen where she could smell lasagna baking in the oven. She found her partner in the kitchen with a glass of wine in her hand. "Little early to be drinking, isn't it?" She asked, walking over to her.

Andrea swallowed the mouthful of wine she had and offered the glass to Carol. "Five o'clock somewhere." Andrea said softly, taking a deep breath. "Just had a bad day, that's all." She said, turning back to her. Carol frowned and rest her hand on the back of Andrea's back, taking a drink of the wine before setting the glass down on the counter. She took care of the things for dinner, putting the ingredients back in the fridge. She couldn't imagine what had gotten Andrea so bent out of shape. Andrea was a district attorney for the prosecution, so she figured it must be something to do with that.

Carol watched her wife for a few moments before speaking. "How was work?"

Andrea hadn't worked a full day, she left work at noon to make her doctors appointment. She hadn't even told Carol about the appointment. "Terrible, like always. We're having trouble building a case against this asshole who likes child pornography. The detectives are sure he takes part in child trafficking, but the guy is... A sick genius, he covers his tracks well." Carol's stomach churned as she brought up the case, she remembered when Andrea was assigned the case. It struck both of them to their core, they had two young children. "I keep thinking about Z and Cate."

"You can't think like that." Carol said, leaning against the counter.

Andrea sighed. "I know, but I can't help it." She said as she set the wine glass on the counter. "It's hard not to... How was work?" Andrea looked over at Carol.

"Okay... Teaching high school English is hard sometimes, when kids don't get it." She said, sighing. Carol walked over to Andrea and wrapped her arms around her wife, pressing her lips to the side of her neck. "Dinner smells amazing." She said softly, tugging her body against hers. "But you know the kids hate lasagna."

"Oh, crap." Andrea growled under her breath and sighed.

After the kids got put back to bed, Carol and Andrea cuddled up in bed with a glass of wine for each of them. Andrea knew she needed to come out with it now, but she didn't know how to tell her wife. How do you tell the one you love the most that you have cancer?

Andrea opened her mouth to tell Carol, but when she looked over at her, she realized that Carol had fallen asleep against her. She sighed and shut her eyes, leaning against the headboard. "I have cancer, Carol." She said to the sleeping body, shutting her eyes and letting the tears fall from her eyes for the first time.


End file.
